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Støvsugeren bråker, men rommet blir rent.

Støvsugeren bråker, men rommet blir rent.
The vacuum cleaner makes noise, but the room becomes clean.
FromLesson 20inHardcore Norwegian
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Questions & Answers about Støvsugeren bråker, men rommet blir rent.

What does støvsugeren mean, and why does it end with -en?

støvsugeren is the definite singular form of støvsuger (vacuum cleaner). In Norwegian, most common-gender nouns take -en in the definite form:
• en støvsuger = a vacuum cleaner
• støvsugeren = the vacuum cleaner

Why is the verb in the first clause bråker, and how do you form the present tense?

The infinitive is å bråke (to make noise). To get the present tense, Norwegian typically adds -r to the stem:
• Stem: bråk- → Present: bråker (makes noise)

What does men mean, and why is there a comma before it?

men means but. When two independent clauses are joined by men, Norwegian punctuation guidelines recommend a comma before it:
Støvsugeren bråker, men rommet blir rent.
(The vacuum cleaner is noisy, but the room is getting clean.)

Why do we say rommet blir rent instead of rommet er rent?

• rommet er rent = “the room is clean” (a static state)
• rommet blir rent = “the room becomes/is getting clean” (emphasizes the process or result of cleaning)

Why is the adjective rent spelled with -t?

Adjectives agree in gender and number. The base adjective is ren (clean) for common-gender nouns:
• en stol er ren
For neuter nouns like et rom, you add -t in predicative position:
• et rom er rent

Could you also say rommet blir rengjort? What’s the difference?

Yes. rengjort is the past participle of rengjøre (to clean) used in a passive sense:
• rommet blir rengjort = “the room is being cleaned” (focus on the action)
• rommet blir rent = “the room gets clean/becomes clean” (focus on the resulting state)

Can you invert the clause like in English (“Bråker støvsugeren, men rommet blir rent”)? Why or why not?
No. Norwegian main clauses follow V2 word order: the finite verb must be in second position. You only invert (verb-subject) after a fronted element like an adverb. Here you start directly with the subject: Støvsugeren bråker.
Is rent here a verb or an adjective? How can you tell?
rent is an adjective meaning “clean.” You can tell because it follows blir (to become) and it agrees in gender (neuter) with rommet. The verb “to clean” is rengjøre, so rent cannot be a verb form.